GAZELLE MAGAZINE AUGUST 2018 | Page 44

HEARTH & HOME The Hilton Nashville Downtown MEET ME TRAVELS Nashville T here’s only one place where a real-life “pretty woman walking down the street” would inspire Roy Orbison to write his iconic hit, where Elvis Presley would record more than 250 songs, and where - on any given night - you’ll stumble upon a live music venue showcasing aspiring singer/songwriters alongside big-name entertainers. Nashville has staked its claim to the “Music City” tagline - and rightfully so. It’s been said that upon its founding, on Christmas Day, 1779, settlers coming ashore from the Cumberland River celebrated by dancing to the fiddle. Since then, Nashville’s backstory has been interwoven with music of all kinds - Negro spirituals, the jazz and blues heydays of the 1940s, the advent of rock ‘n’ roll, and the ascendance of country music. 42 GAZELLE And in present-day Nashville, the notes of yesteryear still reverberate, even in a town where musicians - the highest concentration of them per capita anywhere in the world - turn out fresh tunes day in, day out. There are landmarks, monuments and shrines that bear witness to the spell music casts over the city: Ryman Auditorium, the Grand Ole Opry, RCA Studio B and Music Row. And one of the most historically sweeping collections of music history, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, is located in the heart of downtown, next to the Convention Center and Bridgestone Arena, and across the street from the Hilton Nashville. Our hotel of choice, the AAA Four-Diamond Hilton Nashville, is the only all-suites property downtown. The grand atrium lobby is expansive, with plenty of public and private spaces to meet friends, catch Downtown B y T r i s h M u y c o - To b i n